A non gardener's journey to self sufficiency

13. The plot is expanding- Tuesday 2 May 2017

After a few days away, I got back for a few hours with a variety of tasks in store. Actually I had no plan in mind so ended up spending most of the time with more hacking away at the back fence. But what this has all revealed is that the plot now looks a lot bigger, in fact I’d say that about half the plot is/was covered in weeds, bramble and mainly ivy. The ground underneath seems rock hard although I’ve not started to dig yet. I’m finding a few things too, a couple of big barrel tubs, a piece of wrought fencing, some of that tubing used for polytunnels but, nicest of all, a rather sweet stone duck. I’ll give him/her a clean up and find a new home out from underneath the ivy!

I also had another whizz round with the new battery powered strimmer, this time with a full charge. Brilliant. I’m rediscovering the paved path leading to the shed as well as chopping back the long grass, making the place look a lot less like a wilderness. Another way the plot appears to be opening up.

It wasn’t all dirty work though, I did decide to sew a row of spring onion seeds in the space reserved in my small onion bed. I’ll stick in another row in a couple of weeks, then a final row a couple of weeks after that. The cunning plan being to spread out the cropping. We’ll see.

But I think I have killed the rhubarb – it’s looking very sorry for itself. I wonder if I over watered it after it was managing OK without?

Always nice to chat to my neighbour, who I like to ask for advice, and based on this I will wait a couple of weeks before planting out my courgettes. He also donated some carrot plants, ready to go into a big tub I’ve been filling with the compost from the bin I’m trying to empty. He also offered to help me lay out my new raised beds when I’m ready, and has lots of wood I can use for them. What a lovely guy!

Talking of compost bins, I ordered a couple of plastic ones online, and will place them along the back fence before I set about dismantling the current dilapidated ones.